Chapter 3

Looking at Participatory Democracy

In This Chapter

arrow Qualifying what democracy means

arrow Examining different types of democracy

arrow Laying bare the rights that British citizenship brings

arrow Looking at the strengths and weaknesses of Britain’s democracy

arrow Considering growing voter apathy

You take it as read that you live in a democracy and most of the people you know from overseas probably live in a democracy as well. But what does the word democracy mean and how do you as an individual benefit from living under this system, and use it to change the society you live in?

In this chapter I look at the ins and outs of Britain’s unique democracy and how it affects your life.

Understanding What Qualifies as a Democracy

jargonbuster.eps Democracy is a system of government where the people – either the general public, or their elected representatives – basically run the show. It’s either the general public or ...

Get British Politics For Dummies, 2nd Edition now with the O’Reilly learning platform.

O’Reilly members experience books, live events, courses curated by job role, and more from O’Reilly and nearly 200 top publishers.